As Winnie the Pooh is wont to say, Oh bother.

It seems no matter how you do it, it’s wrong. When zero waste shops became fashionable a few years ago, it was with almost inexhaustible patience that we dumped grains of rice, loose coffee beans, oat flakes and litres of golden green olive oil into containers we had brought with us. We formed the vanguard of the organic movement. We spent hours disinfecting jars and bottles at home with boiling hot water for their next mission. We never complained about scalded fingers.

And now comes the horrible news that an increasing number of zero waste shops are closing. Is it because nobody wants or can afford such do-gooder frills anymore? In short, foodstuffs wrapped in plastic is crap, and so are apparently groceries packaged without plastic. We are confused. Is this the start of a great cleansing fast?